NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Mike Vrabel has the full support of his young star quarterback.
New England Patriots head coach and Drake Maye, in just his second season in the NFL, won the AFC and returned the Pats to familiar territory: the Super Bowl.
The big game itself didn’t go the way they would have liked, but if nothing else, it showed that Patriots fans will likely have their coach-quarterback tandem for years to come.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talks with quarterback Drake Maye during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on October 19, 2025. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
But the team took quite a detour amid the controversy between Vrabel and former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, which led to Vrabel having “difficult conversations with people I care about” and even asking for advice.
Last week, the Patriots said in a statement that they “fully support” their head coach, and Maye echoed similar sentiments.
“We’re here for the coach, we love the coach and what he does for us, and what he did for us last year. You can’t put it in words, and luckily he’s our head coach,” Maye told WHDH-TV in Boston.
“We know he’s dealing with issues off the field and the coaching world, but we’re here for him and I know he’ll come back.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots talks with quarterback Drake Maye during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on September 7, 2025. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
DESHAUN WATSON HAS AN “INSIDE ROUTE” TO BE THE BROWNS’ WEEK 1 STARTING QUARTERBACK ON SHEDEUR SANDERS: REPORT
The scandal began earlier this month when he and Russini were photographed together in a Sedona, Arizona, private resort holding hands and lying next to each other by a swimming pool.
Since then, photos from 2020 have surfaced showing Vrabel and Russini kissing at a New York bar. The photos exclusively obtained by the New York Post were taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
Russini reportedly married Kevin Goldschmidt, her husband and a Shake Shack executive, six months after the photos were taken. Goldschmidt and Russini also share two children.
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999 and they share two sons. In the photos, Vrabel’s wedding ring is visible on his left hand as he converses with Russini. At the time, Russini worked for ESPN, while Vrabel coached the Tennessee Titans.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are pictured in a split composite image showing Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)
Both initially denied any wrongdoing, but Russini has since resigned and is under investigation by his former employer.
